SEAP welcomes the French initiative led by Jérémie Iordanoff, Vice-President of the National Assembly, to strengthen transparency in lobbying. Iordanoff has tabled a draft law that would amend the Sapin II Act, an anti-corruption law adopted in 2016, with a series of ambitious reforms aimed at increasing public oversight of interest representation activities.
The proposal would remove existing exemptions from the public lobbying register for trade unions, religious organisations, and associations of elected officials, and explicitly include think tanks. It also closes a loophole in the current system by removing the so-called “initiative” criterion, which allows lobbyists to avoid reporting their activities if they were contacted by public authorities rather than initiating contact themselves.
In addition, the proposed text would require lobbyists to file declarations twice a year and empower the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP) to impose administrative penalties for non-compliance.
Emma Brown, President of SEAP, commented: “SEAP strongly supports this effort to modernise and tighten lobbying transparency rules in France. By addressing long-standing gaps in the system and reinforcing the role of the transparency authority, this initiative sends a clear signal in favour of accountability and public trust. We hope it will inspire similar reforms across Europe.”